Fox Walking

Came across an article on Digg.com about 'Fox Walking'—the way man used to walk pre-shoe. M* and I have been practicing this around the flat. We don't have a TV, so we have to find new ways of entertaining ourselves. I've attempted the walk out amongst people, but, since it's been raining and I've been wearing heavier, waterproof boots, I have been having a hard time making my heel hit the ground last. I've also noticed myself paying attention to how other people walk—but no one has accommodated my mental wish that they would walk in slow motion, so I can be certain if it's the outside ball of their foot that touches the ground first.

M* practicing his fox walking.

Silly Signs—Stuttgart, Germany

M* and I are totally not above nudging each other and pointing to signs, images or, in this case, teas that would make a 12-year-old giggle. We're also not above taking photos of them. I like that.

It seems like such a nice, quiet place.

On this trip we learned 'schmuck' originated in Germany and still means jewelry or jewel. That's certainly not the meaning in the States. I like the guy peeking out in the window above the sign.

Wow--you need a prescription to buy this in the States.

Not as titillating, but, especially with the Salsa dancer image, amusing nonetheless.

New Friends

Perhaps we were transmitting some type of signal last night lying in bed, talking about our future plans and how so many of our friends that we've made this year have already left Cambridge. M* arose at one point, exclaiming, "Oh my God—come here," as he rounded the end of our bed. I hesitated, making him give me some clue as to what to expect. "Slimy" and "shell" were the two words he offered. "Snail" correctly came to mind, and I certainly was more amused than grossed out to find a snail crawling across our bedroom rug.

Tracing the snails route, we moved the curtain back from the open, second storey window to find five more of its buddies making their way into our room. Did word get out that we had new room in our social calendar?

We gathered them all on the window sill for a group photo before closing the window for the night. Writing this reminds me that our window is open again—think I should go find out if they've stopped by again tonight.
The most adventurous of the group navigating the dual obstacles of the lamp cord and my ever shedding hair.

Can you spot the four snails?

"I made it inside!"

These two couldn't decide In or Out.

Prettiest shell.

Group photo

What??

Was shopping for children's books for our nephew in Galloway and Porter on Sydney Street when I saw this book. I was so horrified that I couldn't ask the staff about it.

Queens' College May Ball & King's College Formal Hall

Before we run out the door to the pirate themed Wolfson "May Ball", here are a few photos from Queens' College May Ball, on 19 June, and last night's King's College Formal Hall, one of the best dinners we've had in Cambridge.

Queens' College May Ball

It's not often M* sees my name written as "Amy Budny"

Steven, Susie, M*, me and Karen

Karen, M*, me and Kevin show off our absinthe

Mr X and me

Klaxons

Fireworks and rain

M*, Karen and Francis kill some time at the snail races.


King's College Formal Hall

M* and Mark, our host

Susie, Maria and me

Karen and M*

Me and my hard working man

Maria, Christiano, me and M*

Lake District—Pt 1

Since M* and I returned from the Lake District on Tuesday night, we've been quite busy: Queens' College May Ball, formal dinner at King's College, M* finishing papers, Wolfson May Ball (tonight) and getting ready to leave for Germany (8 am flight tomorrow—ouch!).

Here are a few pictures of the area around Lake Windermere, Cumbria. More details and photos of us in our "black tie" wear will follow.

Off to the Lake District

We're taking a short trip with our friends, James and Manuela, to the Lake District before returning to Cambridge to attend the Queens' College and Wolfson College Balls. M* finished classes yesterday, although his thesis is due and the program officially finishes the end of August.

While the forecast predicts some rain every day, we hear that is common in the Lake District. We're a bit use to the rain showers now—it's been a wet May and June. I just hope the weather is not too bad, as we are renting a car and I haven't driven on the 'wrong' side of the road since a trip to New Zealand over four years ago.

Arriving home after a lovely bike trip in the rain.


The cows don't seem to mind drinking from the Cam—newly muddy from the rain-caused runoff.

Our Daily Bread

Just some of the items from a Daily Bread run.

Eating black beans, baking gluten-free treats and blending almond milk into a daily protein shake would be much harder and more expensive if it wasn't for this store tucked away in a cul-de-sac on the northern edge of Cambridge. My new favorite product: their organic pumpkin seeds.

Paradise and Beyond Nature Walk

The Cam around Byron's Pool

M* and I were walking in Grantchester Meadows a week or so ago, and we saw a flier for "Paradise & Beyond" walking tour around the Grantchester Meadows area of Cambridge, tagged as a 'Town not Gown' tour: Cambridge history for local residents.

"Follow in the footsteps of Pink Floyd, Rupert Brooke and Lord Byron to discover what lies beyond Paradise! Local experts will be guiding people through one of the most picturesque areas in Cambridgeshire and telling them about the wildlife, its past, and how important it is that these areas are managed properly. Walk through wet woodland and riverside meadows, glimpse kingfishers (hopefully), hear numerous fascinating facts about the history of this part of Cambridge, learn about the management of nature reserves, see one of the earliest church brasses in England, muse on sites that inspired world famous poets, and wonder 'Is there honey still for tea?'"

These cows all sported the coolest yellow earrings.

Thought the red circle might help you find the grey wagtail

We convinced our friends, James and Manuela, to accompany us on the four hour, three mile walk. I must say that I didn't gain as much added insight to the area as I was hoping. We did not see the colorful kingfisher, and much of the information disseminated by the guide from the local nature reserve was a bit too sciencey for me (and I'm married to a fella who loves geeking out on science). In the beginning of the walk, he pointed out a green plant and told us to pull it out when we saw it, as it was a non-native species. Now to my flora-differentiating-challenged eyes, it was indistinguishable from eighty percent of the ground cover along the river, so I decided to pass on the weed pulling as, if let at it, there would be no green leafy plants left along our route.

Manuela, James and M*

We're glad we went on the tour, as we found the history guide, Allan Brigham, to be very entertaining; we had never walked through the tranquil, tree covered area surrounding Byron's Pond; and we totally felt entitled to an afternoon nap upon our return home.

Mother swans and her downy cygnets

Cam near Grantchester Road

Woodlands around Byron's Pool

My scientist and the native Field Maple

Dogs Love Cambridge in the Summer

La Raza

While I have not investigated many of Cambridge's late night haunts and bars, I was pretty sure that there was not a chill, loungey bar offering quality cocktails and tasty food, outfitted with comfy couches and walls, painted in deep red and white, sporting hipster-esque paintings that would not be out of place in Giant Robot or modern home stores on 3rd or Beverly in LosAngeles. Meeting some of M*'s classmates at La Raza on Friday night for a birthday celebration proved such an belief to be false.

Painting at La Raza

The selection of cocktails was impressive, and M*'s julep and my (three) caipirinhas were outstanding. Most pubs measure the alcohol that goes into a drink—I think that it's a law. However, M*'s julep, made with Makers Mark, certainly had at last two shots, and I witnessed my glass filled with far more than one shot of cachaça. When the dj went on about 9:30, I was beyond thrilled that the first track he played was one of my favorite house tunes from about six years ago: "Days Like This." Now, the rest of his set, while better than expected, was not particularly memorable—he worked in too many unimaginative standards, including at least two by Michael Jackson.

Atsushi, Johannes, M* and me

The club is downstairs, so there was no outdoor area to go and escape the smoke. But it's less than a month now to 1 July, UK smoking ban in enclosed spaces, so there won't be many more opportunities to wake up to my hair reeking of cigarette smoke. Can't wait.

Pavel, the birthday boy, and M*

M* in motion